Pro-Life Credibility

All people who believe in the pro-life cause are gun-toting murderers. All of them want nothing more than to see abortion clinics in flames and doctors who perform abortions lying dead in the streets. Only when this happens will the unborn be avenged properly.

In light of recent events, such as the Paul Hill case in Florida and the recent shootings in Massachusetts, this may seem true. Extremists have taken their personal beliefs too far and used those beliefs to justify murder and destruction of property. These events are tragic but do not represent the pro-life movement in this country.

The right-to-life movement believes in preserving the sanctity of life, especially the life of those not yet born. In the mainstream movement, this is done through nonviolent protests, appeals to state and federal government and education. The pro-life movement distributes literature, talks to people and, like any agenda-motivated movement, tries to persuade people that the life of a fetus is important and must be protected.

There are two things the country must keep in mind when thinking about and reacting to the recent violence surrounding the abortion debate. One is directed at the pro-life movement in specific, and the other to the populace in general.

First, the pro-life movement cannot, in good conscience, condone the actions of those who commit violence in its name. To agree with what those individuals have done would be vile hypocrisy. Life is precious, even the lives of those who disagree with what one may believe.

Silence is not even enough in these circumstances. In order to maintain credibility with society, the pro-life movement must speak out against the actions of Paul Hill and the man in Massachusetts. A movement that aligns itself with life must always speak out against cold-blooded murder.

The second point, the one to the general public, is that overreaction will not accomplish anything productive. As a country, we pride ourselves on our ability to allow all sides of an issue equal representation in the marketplace of ideas. The freedom of speech guaranteed in the Constitution is something that must not be hindered.

So to those who see these recent events as an opportunity to get rid of the opposition through legislation barring all forms of protest outside so-called "abortion clinics," just sit for a moment and examine your motives. Despite how terrible the actions of a few disturbed individuals are, those actions do not represent the opposition as a movement. Don't let outrage lead to stereotyping, because stereotyping leads to discrimination, and discrimination can easily lead to oppression. That's not what we're about in this country.

Emotions run high when abortion is discussed in this country, but emotions fade. Legislation against freedom of protest does not. Also, when people are murdered in a fit of emotive fervor, they stay dead, no matter how "noble" the cause. As those killed are mourned and the guilty punished, let's keep in mind that although this is an emotionally charged issue, acting on those emotions on either side of the argument will be counterproductive for both.